Waters broken and then birth with nothing else required? Anyone?

Has anyone had their waters broken and then gone on to give birth without any further intervention?

If yes, when did you have your waters broken?

How long did it take?

What was the labour like?

I'm tossing up what to do and am running out of time to make my decision. I have got past the fear of this baby coming dangerously early, despite being 3cm dilated already. DDs 1 and 2 were both overdue. I was induced with DD1 due to high blood pressure but circumstances were not ideal - my cervix was tightly closed and I think she was far from ready to arrive so after 34 long hours, gel, waters broken, drip and epidural she arrived. While everything was done on my time line and in accordance with my wishes, it was not a situation I want to repeat if possible.

DD2 on the other hand was incredibly quick and while I would love a repeat of her birth (maybe an extra 30 minutes would be nice!) the speed of her arrival is my big concern. We're 45 to 60 minutes from the hospital now and simply won't make it if this baby is as fast as her big sister. Staying closer to the hospital is not an option so we're left with deciding between risking it and possibly not making it in time, and having my waters broken and then hanging around the hospital hoping everything progresses naturally from there.

I'm swaying day to day between what I should do so need some real life experiences to help with the decision making process. Thanks.

Girl I follow on YouTube, GabeandJesss, just had a vaginal, drug and instrument free birth with twins. All she had done was her waters broken after a longish labour. As soon as they broke she was pushing :)

I'm not sure if it's the same thing but my waters broke on their own with my DD. She was overdue. She arrived a little over 2 hours later. It went from nothing at all to very hard & fast labour but no interventions or drugs - there was no time! There is a link in my sig if you want to read her birth story.

My waters were broken at 8cm (which had only taken 1.5-2hrs to get to anyway). About an hour later DD was born.

With DD I had my waters broken and nothing else as far as interference. Sorry, I can't tell you how long the labour was after exactly, but it was still ages, and it was ages into the labour that my waters were broken. I think my labour was about 26 hours. How was it? Well, being my first, utter hell, so not sure I can answer that 'properly'.

DS was a short labour (7 odd hours), and he came all on his own.

Not sure I would recommend it (having your waters broken and "wait and see", but you do what you feel you need. I hope everything goes okay.

3hrs from rupture. Very intense from then on asked for an epi but there wasn't time & my OB missed DS1's birth by minutes. DS2 was ruptured too but his descent was a lot longer after broken although the whole labour was shorter;)

I guess it would depend on how ready you were to go into labour. A friend had two bubs induced by just having her waters broken and then walking around for an hour or so until labour started.

With DD2 I had my waters broken at 8cm and she was born within minutes but I guess that is different to what would happen if you aren't yet in labour.

If yes, when did you have your waters broken? I asked for my waters to be broken approx six hours after my labour started - they were bulging and I could feel heaps of pressure. Oh, the relief when they were broken!!

How long did it take? If you mean how long did it take to break them, Instantly, probably because they were on the cusp of breaking anyway. Bub arrived approx 40 mins afterwards.

What was the labour like? I'd had a spontaneous labour anyway, so I was probably around 8-9cm when I asked for them to break my waters (on arrival at hospital the midwife said my waters were bulging, so it was approx 90 mins later I asked if they could be broken). I think having my waters broken was all bub needed to finish the job. My labour was great and I didn't require any other "help", but as mentioned ... I was well and truly in established labour when I had them broken.

Not personally but a friend of mine was being induced. They used the pessary to soften her cervix then broke her waters. Her baby was born as they were arranging to put the synto drip up. Not an overly common situation though.

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Not sure I would recommend it (having your waters broken and "wait and see", but you do what you feel you need. I hope everything goes okay.

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This is exactly my concern Netix. I would be really disappointed if me choosing to go down this road ended up with me having another birth experience like DD1's when I know my body can do it as brilliantly as it did with DD2.

Artechim - what you describe is effectively what happened with DD2's birth, only my waters broke naturally at about 4cms and then everything just got crazy fast. Your friend's outcomes sound like what I'd like to achieve, just not sure when I should be doing it IYKWIM.

Thanks for all the replies. More food for thought, but oh for a crystal ball! Jokes made at the beginning of this pregnancy about birthing on the side of the freeway aren't seeming so funny anymore.

That's an interesting situation to be in! I guess it's a matter of weighing up the risks of not making it to hospital, v's an "induction" gone wrong. Can't say I envy your choice! But I personally would choose the hospital :). At what stage of pregnancy would you have your waters broken if you chose to go that way? Can you make the decision closer to the time, when you know about the presentation of bubs?

I guess that's the biggest decision to make - just when to do it. With DDs both being overdue, common sense and my personal history would suggest there is no need for me to even consider having my waters broken before my due date has passed. Given I'm already dilating though and apparently have a mushy cervix (my OB uses the most technical of terms!) I wonder if that means that this little one will come earlier. I know I run the risk of needing intervention if we go down this road too early, but then if I leave it to late . . .

I guess at the moment I'm leaning towards what you have suggested - getting towards 40 weeks and them reassessing it all then. I'm a control freak by nature, and am feeling a little overwhelmed at the thought that whichever way I go, I'm risking losing control IYKWIM.

Arggggh. I'm turning into a neurotic wreck.

I wasn't really induced, but with DD2 I'd had 18 hours of prelabour and a hindwater leak before heading to hospital. I was only 1-1.5 cm dilated when my waters were broken and she arrived 4 hours later. I was surprised at having such a long prelabour as I had a quick birth with DD1. Everyone had been telling me to head to hospital at the first niggle this time but I ended up having loads of time and still needing help.

My waters broke 18 hours before DD1 arrived. They were broken in the last few minutes with DD2.
DS & DD3 they broke at different times during the labours. So, I don't think there's a real guarantee...

my waters spontaneously broke - well actually fell out whole and hit my doulas and DH feet like a water balloon
This was at 2.30 pm and DS2 was born at 2.52 pm!
I felt the need to push as soon as my waters broke and was then checked and i was fully dilated
i had gone from 3 cm at 12.00pm to fully dilated in 2 and a half hours lol

i was induced with both my pregnancies.

DD1 i had gel inserted at 10pm. my waters broke on their own at 1250am established labour by 1am and DD1 born at 8am with no further interventions.

with DD2 waters were broken at 8am (i was 2cm dilated already) and then i walked and walked and walked around the hospital grounds and was in established by 10.30am. dd2 was born at 3.25pm same afternoon. no synto required or any other interventions.

both labours drug free.



Sent using my SamGal ;)

I have a different way of looking at it from my experience.
DD1 (she was 41wks) my waters broke at 4am, by the time I got to hospital at 7am they were stained and I was not contracting really. Had to have the drip. DD arrived 12.5 hours after my water were broken. I was pretty dry down there by that stage and I tore really bad on the inside.
DD2 (she was 41+2wks) Contractions started around 4am, I laboured all day easily went into hospital at 1:30am monitered, internal, told 10cm with waters bulging. Walked to delivery room, waters break themselves and a few minutes later DD2 was born. Very easy, no tears or grazes.

I know next time I will be hoping for that again. Having my waters break just before DD2 arrived made a big difference. I would be just waiting and seeing how you go and hope that this is something you wont even have to worry about. Good luck.

My waters were broken with dd2, I was in stage 2, the contractions we 3 minutes apart and I was 3cm dilated. After that it was superfast, I was pushing 20 minutes later and she arrived in 20 minutes, so 40 all up. That was totally unexpected as it was my first time labouring and my ob thought it would be about 8 hours before I was ready to go.

I wasn't able to have any other intervention because I had a c sect last time and had gestational diabeties.

My sister did with her second DS. She had a slow leak and was booked in at the Birth Centre so the midwife offered to break her waters to see if they could avoid a transfer. She went into full blown labour in no time and her DS was born in the bath an hour later :D

Oh, and I'll be in the same boat as you next time. My first labour (posterior) was 9 hours by my clock, 6 hours established according to the midwife. My second was 37 minutes :o Both times I had SROM. I don't fancy a home, freeway or carpark birth AT ALL and nor does my OB. I'll be getting my waters broken next time to avoid an unassisted birth. Others wouldn't agree but it's certainly what DH and I will feel most comfortable doing.

Thanks everyone.

Taurean - you're exactly in my situation so thanks. Good to know I'm not completely nuts to be considering this.

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Thanks everyone.

Taurean - you're exactly in my situation so thanks. Good to know I'm not completely nuts to be considering this.

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Not nuts at all! Unexpected homebirths (or on route!) aren't for everyone. I should have said we'll only be breaking my waters if I'm favourable, which it sounds like you are :) Both my girls came at 38 weeks (38+5 and 38+4) and I had a S&S at 38 weeks with DD2 and I was 2cm dilated and my cervix was very ripe. So I think our plan would be for an internal at 38 weeks and take it from there.

HTH. Good luck hon, whatever your decision :D

DD2 was induction by AROM (and nothing else). It was done at exactly 40 weeks, everything was very favourable at 39w 3 days (cervix starting to dialate, very low, soft and stretchy, ob felt me contracting while she was checking but I had no idea :o) although she hadn't engaged at all at that point (my babies tend to float up high until labour kicks off). I had my waters broken at about 9am, was in established labour at 1pm and she was born at 5:30pm with the bath and gas for pain relief. So 4.5 hour active labour.

I totally understand your fears about the location of the birth, I ended up being induced for other reasons, but it was a huge load off my mind that it meant I would be avoiding a roadside birth, or having to take DD1 with me in a taxi while I was in labour cause I couldn't take her with me in an ambulance, or the many other possibilities that were on the table if I had of gone into labour during the day.

ETA - I missed the question about what was the labour like. It was great! After my waters were broken it was really just a textbook spontaneous labour with a gentle build up, short transition and not much pushing required.

It's so interesting to read all of the different stories. I was induced with my first which ended with an emerg c.s, so they couldn't induce me with my second. I was overdue and facing an elect c.s. I was 2-3 cms already dilated, so they broke my waters to see if I could get into established labour. The hospital had a pretty tight timeframe for getting into labour for a VBAC and I was pretty stressed out about this and had an awful midwife on shift, so I didn't progress any further.
I think if your body is ready and you have good support around you and previous natural deliveries, then you probably stand a good chance of getting into labour if they broke your waters (?)
Good luck with whatever you choose to do and i hope it all works out for you!

Just thinking about this again, are gels an option you would consider again? For my DD1 (induction again, this time for a totally different medical reason) we planned 2x doses of gels about 9 hours apart then breaking my waters about 4 hours after the last dose, but 1 lot of gels was enough to get me started. This was at 40+3. So actually the gels might not be instead of the AROM, it could be used in addition to it.

I'm not sure I'd need the gel Sagres. I'm already 3cm (or at least I was 3 weeks ago - don't think you can go backwards?) and I don't think they use gel beyond 2 - not sure though. I know my 3rd birth should be much easier than my 1st, but with my DD I had the gels and got absolutely nothing. I guess that's my big concern - do my babies hang in there with toes and fingers dug in resisting to come out until they're ready, which is why I had such a long, involved induction with my first, or is the experience I had with DD going to be a one off?

DH and I were talking about this again over the weekend and he's thinking what we should do is get to 40 weeks and then talk to the OB about when he thinks we should book in for AROM. Not sure how I feel about it - one day that sounds like a really good plan, but then the next day sounds awful. Maybe by 40 weeks I'll just be so over it that I'll be happy to go with anything???

Thanks everyone. Really appreciate the responses.

Yeah good point, gels probably aren't going to do anything you haven't already done on your own!